Aella’s eyes burned red. “I can’t do that right now.”
He placed his hands firmly on her shoulders, softening his voice. “Then don’t get a divorce and play your part as my wife well. Stop overthinking.”
Aella shoved him away, her emotions spilling over. “I can’t do that too!”
Tyrone released her, his tone sharp and cold.
“The money I spent on your family was to keep this marriage steady. If you can’t give me stability, then pay me back. You can’t have it both ways.”
She stared blankly at the man she had loved for so many years.
So this was it-her marriage was nothing but a business transaction in his eyes.
Tyrone said, “Before you decide, think it through. Your mom just came home after heart surgery. The follow-up care and medical bills won’t be cheap. If I take back that house, where will your parents live?
“And your brother-his teacher called me last week. He’s still one of the top students in his grade, a math prodigy. If he leaves that private school, his future won’t be the same.”
Aella stood there, numb, showing no reaction.
He knew exactly how to control her.
If she told her parents she was divorcing him and he demanded the house and money back, she knew their nature. They’d move out without hesitation.
Even if it meant selling their blood or borrowing from loan sharks, they would sacrifice everything just to give her freedom.
Clyde had always admired Tyrone and thought of him like his older brother.
With his stubborn personality, if he ever found out Tyrone had cornered her, Clyde’d probably drop out of school. He’d rather ruin his own future than drag her down.
Tyrone knew her too well.
He knew her family too well.
When Aella fell silent, Tyrone bent down and lifted her onto the bed.
He said quietly, “Aella, if you want a divorce, I’ll agree. But until the day we sign the papers, you’re still my wife. And as my wife, you’ll keep your duties. Understand?”
Aella lay on her back, staring up at him. “I don’t understand.”
Tyrone sat on the edge of the bed and held her hand. His thumb brushed over the wedding ring on her finger.
“Aella,” he said, “as long as our marriage is still standing, you need to remember who you are. Don’t say things you shouldn’t. Don’t do things you shouldn’t.”
Her eyes filled with hurt. “You’re not planning to acknowledge that woman and her child, are you?”
His face hardened. “You are not allowed to ask anything about Zera. You’re not allowed to see her, bother her, or cause a scene with me about her. Pretend she doesn’t exist. Can you do that?”
Aella’s heart had shattered into pieces.
In that moment, she knew the truth-she had no right to say no to Tyrone.
He used money to trap her.
Tyrone ordered her to stay away from that mother and child. He banned her from making trouble. He banned her from arguing with him.
And if a scandal ever broke out, she would still have to step in as his wife, clean up the mess, and protect his reputation.
Aella lay motionless on the bed, her eyes empty as she stared at the ceiling.
She had heard bits and pieces about Tyrone and Zera before.
The story was always the same. Tyrone’s elders had disapproved of Zera because her family background was modest. They had torn the couple apart by force.
Tyrone couldn’t marry Zera, so he kept her and the child outside.
He refused to divorce her. All he wanted was to pressure her into playing along-into covering for him.
Aella felt weak all over. She whispered, “Tyrone, I don’t have the money to pay you back. I can’t meet your demands. Is there any other way for me?”
Tyrone lay beside her, pulled the blanket over her, and said softly, “No.”
His gesture was gentle, but his refusal was firm.
He switched off the lamp and wrapped his arms around her through the blanket. “Get some sleep,” he said. “This weekend I’ll go with you to visit your parents.”
But Aella couldn’t sleep.
This side of him had deceived her for years.
He looked like a respectful son-in-law who cared for her parents, but every move was about control and advantage.
She had been suffering for days, hoping she could finally divorce him.
Instead, he tightened his grip to manipulate her.
To him, she was replaceable, small, and unimportant.
But Zera and her child-he treated them like treasures.
She opened her eyes in the dark. Through the crack in the curtains, a sliver of light traced Tyrone’s sharp, handsome features.
Her mind drifted back to childhood.
At her first birthday party, so many toys were laid out for her.
Relatives crowded around, urging her to pick something.
She ignored them all and grabbed Tyrone’s finger instead.
Virginia laughed and told Tyrone to give her a kiss.
He leaned forward and kissed her on the lips.
Their parents joked that Aella’s first kiss was gone.
Virginia had joked that the two families should set up an arranged match.
Their parents agreed, turning it into a formal engagement between her and Tyrone.
Aella’s feelings for Tyrone had always been plain to see. She never hides her feelings.
His coldness toward her was just as obvious.
Yet somehow, the two of them still ended up together. Even more surprising, they managed to keep a loveless marriage going for three years. That was a miracle in itself.
Aella stayed awake until morning, staring into the dark.
When Tyrone woke, he saw her lying there without a trace of life in her eyes. She looked as if breathing was the only thing keeping her body alive.
He pulled his gaze away, got out of bed, and went into the bathroom.
She didn’t bring up divorce again. She didn’t fight with him anymore. To Tyrone, it seemed like she had finally thought it through.
Tyrone stepped out of the walk-in closet, dressed and ready to leave, when he noticed the wedding photo was missing from the bedroom wall.
He frowned and asked, “Where’s the picture?”
“I threw it away,” Aella said.
She had tossed it yesterday, along with everything.
He hadn’t noticed until now, and even then, he only realized the wedding photo was gone.
The photos that once meant everything to her had never mattered to him at all.
Tyrone said casually, “It’s fine. I’ll just have the studio send another one.”
If she had thrown one away, chances were she had thrown them all.
Maybe it was just her way of letting off steam.
That’s better than holding it inside.
He started to leave, but Aella swung her legs off the bed. “Tyrone, I want to get a job.”
Tyrone was right-she couldn’t have it both ways.
She had married him, and he had carried her family through the storm, taking on all their debts.
He gave her marriage, respect, and comfort. In return, she was expected to tolerate his cheating.
Their marriage was nothing more than a business deal.
And if it was a deal, she had the right to negotiate her terms.
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